Secret Battles Against a Nobody
by VioletHearts13
Summary: Because protecting his brother was his first priority and nothing else mattered. Not anyone else's life. Roxas threw everything away for his brother: his life, his family and his freedom. That was the rule of the Organization. Before he met Sora, anyway.
1. Chapter 1

**Uhm, yeah. I'm going to rewrite this story. Each chapter. I've read this story and my delivery sucked so I'm going to go ahead and try again.**

**In the meanwhile the next few chapters are going to be strangely unattached to this first chapter, mostly because this one's rewritten. So till then. And yes, this is still the prologue, except cited differently.**

* * *

Roxas is never surprised. Nor is Roxas ever happy or sad for that matter. No matter how many times Axel said "Boo!" or jumped him from behind, Roxas never flinches nor does he scream. Except for the occasional reflex defense that Roxas administers accidentally, Axel has never seen Roxas show any sort of emotion. Only the indifferent, cold blue eyes and the thin line on his mouth except for when he was thinking.

Axel liked Roxas. Everyone in the Organization does. That's right. Axel and Roxas both belonged to the same organization. That's how they met. Roxas was five and Axel was seven back then. Even back then Roxas did not fail to put on a straight face. It looked silly on a five year old, but it was never silly when they fought. The keyblade and the chakrams often clashed in the training room, although the keyblade usually won, Axel still treated him for ice cream after every training session. Roxas would eat the whole thing and never get a brain freeze while Axel usually held his head against the wall. Still, Roxas wouldn't laugh at his antics although a five year old should have done so.

The Organization is simply called Organization XIII. It's a group consisting of thirteen members who were specifically chosen throughout the world to be trained into ruthless killers. For every member that had joined, they added a number to the organization. They stopped the tradition after Roxas came, though. Their leader, Xemnas, never really explained the reason why and Axel never really cared. As long as Roxas was with him, he shrugged it off.

However, there were times Axel didn't like being around Roxas. The first time he realized it was on a mission they were given. They were to kill a government agent from discovering the roots of their group. Axel didn't really like getting his hands dirty and left the whole process the Roxas. A few minutes later, Roxas came back with a gun in his hand and a straight face that said mission accomplished. When they returned to headquarters, Axel asked how he'd manage to kill the man thrice his size.

"_Easy. I acted my age and shot him while off-guard."_

Axel laughed. It was an interesting sight to imagine, Roxas showing emotions. He wanted to see it for himself. So he had asked Roxas how he managed to pull that off when he doesn't even smile at the organization members. The child shrugged and continued licking his ice cream. Axel sighed.

"_That's because I hate you all. Didn't you know?"_

Axel froze. He didn't understand. Didn't everyone in the organization join of their own free will? Axel was asked if he wanted to get off the streets, of course he said yes. He had assumed everyone else had a tragic past and the Organization was their only hope of sanctuary from the outside world. The mercenary industry was beautiful compared to the dirty street life.

That night, Axel sneaked in Zexion's room. He bugged the man to tell him about Roxas's past. Zexion didn't enjoy being pestered, so he gave Axel a summary of the whole thing. Axel found out that Roxas had a brother named Cloud. This brother of his was the reason Roxas was even in here. Apart from that, Zexion didn't know anything else and so Axel didn't sleep that night, wondering what happened between Roxas and his brother.

For the next few years, Roxas grew more and more distant in Axel's eyes. He still ate ice cream with him, but apart from that and the missions, they never talked. Most of the time, Roxas would just train and train until his body gave out. Xemnas kept giving him more and more missions to go on and soon Axel barely even saw Roxas for ice cream anymore. At that point, he snapped and grabbed Roxas by the hand as he was training.

"_Axel, stop."_

"_No, you're always training, always on missions or always with Xemnas doing who-knows-what! You haven't been spending enough time with me!"_

"_Axel, I have no obligation to spend time with you."_

"_Yes, you do! I'm your best friend, dammit! Best friends help each other out when they're in trouble!"_

"_I never claimed to be your best friend and only until recently have I heard you declare me as your best friend."_

"_Dammit, Roxas. With all the shit you've been pulling you haven't realized all the time we spent together as best friends? I'm Axel, your best friend. Got it memorized?"_

"…"

Thanks to Zexion, Axel managed to find out that that was the date of Roxas's birthday. He had thrown him a huge party with the cake and the candles and everything else in between. Axel even got him a birthday present, a skateboard. That was the only time Axel had seen Roxas's eyes spark. From that moment on, Roxas never once complained about Axel nor his declarations of being a best friend for that matter.

Since that year, Axel had managed to put up a birthday party for Roxas and had given him presents that had somehow sparked a small reaction of happiness from the blonde. Each year the gift was different, and each year Roxas kept getting busier and busier but on his birthday even the missions had stopped and Axel pulled it off.

Sometimes when the two best friends talked, Axel would try and get more information out of the blonde. It usually failed, but there were rare chances he would say something about his past.

"_Roxas, how'd you manage to get a keyblade? We all have different weapons, I know but how did you end up with a keyblade?"_

"_The leader says it's because I have a strong heart."_

"…"

"_I know, Axel. I don't understand either."_

"_But you wield two, you used to wield only one. We don't even-"_

"_Axel. I know we don't have hearts. I knew that the first day I got here."_

"_I know, I know. Because of your brother. Sheesh."_

"…_I don't blame Cloud for the position I am in now."_

"_Tell me about him."_

"_There's nothing to tell."_

"_Come on. Even some physically features? I won't kill him, I swear!"_

"…_don't even joke about that or I'll kill you."_

After a while, Axel realized that Roxas wasn't in the Organization because of his brother, he was in the Organization for his brother. He didn't fully understand the situation, but Cloud had managed to get involved with the Organization and somehow Roxas paid for it.

And on Roxas's 14th birthday, he received a surprise from Axel that he would thank him for.

* * *

**It's short, but it'll have to do. I'm not looking for a beta reader, considering my erratic momentous uploading sprints. I'm sorry, but school is really hectic when you're a senior. And when I mean hectic, I mean "too-lazy-to-do-anything-but-sleep" sort of hectic. The type you'd like for a while.**

**AND NO. THERE IS NO AKUROKU PAIRING HERE. JUST FRIENDSHIPPERS. Unless of course…**

**Till I rewrite the next chapters~**


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

**Hey guys. Enjoy. This chapter includes Roxas before the events of meeting Sora, a young emo Sora, a normal Axel, a depressed Cloud (…that actually sounds adorable) and a rickety old house.**

**Hope to see some feedback soon. Not sure whether the old readers will like where this is going, though.**

* * *

A white blinding light flashed in Roxas's hands. The sudden blinding light was replaced by a gigantic silver key with a golden handle. Holding the weapon tightly, Roxas charged at the target quickly. The man was named Dr. Ansem, a formidable icon in the underworld. He was the scientist who had researched many of the drugs the Organization used in missions and in the trade industry alike. At the age of 32, his notoriety in the underworld had increased that many other names had wanted his power and knowledge, causing a riot and many attempted break-ins in the headquarters. Xemnas had deemed him too much of a nuisance to protect and ordered Roxas to kill him immediately.

"Dr. Ansem, the leader has decided on your fate. I regret to inform you that your usefulness has reached its end and I'm afraid that your knowledge of the inner workings of the organization has made you an obstacle instead of an advantage. However, due to your vast knowledge in the drug industry, we shall be keeping your information safe with us."

"Get away from me, XIII! I will kill you! I swear, I will!"

"Please do not object any further, Dr. Ansem. Your death will be much quicker that way."

The man, threatened by the keyblade Roxas held, ran to the chemicals and laboratory tools he had made for the Organization time and time again. Thinking on his feet, Ansem grabbed the nearest flammable item he found and held it against Roxas.

"If you even come close to me, I will kill myself! Alongside with all my research and work here! You'll never get anything from me, you insufferable fools!"

Roxas stared at the scientist with obvious impatience as he observed the scene before him. Obviously, the man was not bluffing as Zexion had taught him all about the experiments and laboratory tools Ansem had used in the past few years. The man was scared, that much was certain and his shaky hand was proof of it. However, he stood with great defiance and this indicated that the man felt like he had power in this situation. His emotion was unsure at this point, Roxas pondered.

"He-hey! Listen to me you brat, we've been working together for years, you and I! I remember you were five when you got here, barely even able to use the-"

Roxas glared.

"You do not have the repercussions to remind me of our past, Ansem."

Ansem smiled.

"Why, I don't? After all those times I had helped you with your-"

"Shut up, or I will kill you."

"But you already will, so why stop here? Do I need to inform Xemnas of your wavering-"

Roxas grabbed his gun and pointed at Ansem, clicking off the safety.

"Now, now, Roxas. It is not the time to summon more weapons than needed. You've already got a keyblade on your left hand and a gun on your right; shouldn't you be worried about the assassins after me and my information on the Organization? After all, it's not like you have a-"

Roxas clicked the trigger. A loud noise echoed in the laboratory. Blood seeped through the white linoleum tiles of the laboratory, staining the clean scent with a rusty iron smell.

Replacing the keyblade, a white flash appeared and the keyblade was gone. Roxas walked around the laboratory, waiting for a while. The silent atmosphere had calmed him. Finally, he walked over to the slowly bleeding corpse that was Ansem. His eyes were wide open, his mouth forming a small 'O', as if he was caught by surprise. Right to the very end, Ansem proved that his self-preservation was the first thing on his mind, not loyalty.

Xemnas was right, he had become a nuisance. Roxas barely agreed with anything Xemnas said.

Looking at the flammable liquid that spilled as soon as the scientist had let go of the Erlenmeyer flask, Roxas pushed all the other liquid to the ground, causing a multi mixture of unknown chemicals to colour the ground with brightly coloured sparks. The alcohol burner thrown to the ground, Roxas left the laboratory and summoned a dark portal, lesser Nobodies appeared. Roxas pointed to the laboratory.

"Make sure nothing gets left behind. Consume everything in darkness."

The Nobodies danced towards the burning building, guarding the place from any unwanted outsiders and keeping the place clear of any evidence.

Roxas looked at the place one more time. He had visited it more often than not in his childhood. The terrors he received in that place were far worse than he could have ever imagined. Anger started seeping in his mind and he shook his head.

His brother was worth it.

* * *

The alarm clock rang loudly in his quiet room. It was 7:30 in the morning and the brunette didn't have the energy to wake up. Today was the day she had died, after all.

The door creaked; someone was trying to open the door. A knock was heard soon afterwards.

"Sora? It's me, Kairi. Get up."

Sora buried his head under the pillow and groaned. He didn't want to get up today. Not again. Today was a reminder of what had happened when he was helpless, when he didn't know what to do, before he met the others who had lost loved ones to them too.

More frantic knocking was heard.

"Sora, we need to face this. Try to remember why we visit her every year, okay?" Kairi said softly.

That's right, Sora remembered. It was to strengthen their resolve against the Organization. Sora's knuckles turned white. They were the reason they couldn't see her sweet smile anymore, they were the reason she was dead.

Sora stood up from his comfortable bed, grabbed a towel and headed for the bathroom. Ten minutes later, he got out of the shower and chose his black suit. This was the only time of the year he used it. He adjusted his tie accordingly and opened the door. Kairi sat beside the door, her head buried in her arms and her legs folded. She was wearing a formal black coat and skirt. Sora could tell she had been trying hard not to cry.

"Kairi, I'm ready."

Kairi looked up to Sora, smiled and stood up. They walked together to the patio where Riku was waiting for them.

"Took you guys long enough."

"Sorry, Riku." Sora replied sheepishly.

"Doesn't matter. Let's go."

Sora nodded.

"Where are the others?"

"Oh, they left earlier than we did. Cloud was getting really impatient."

"Oh." was all Sora could reply. He knew she was very important to Cloud; the fact just seemed to slip his mind this morning.

The trio walked briskly, today was a warm day. Soon, they had reached the grave. Everyone was waiting for them there, sitting peacefully beside her grave. The trio joined everyone else and sat by them.

"Hey guys." Tifa smiled at the trio that had just arrived.

Intent on spending the day with her peacefully, nobody else spoke hello's and hi's. Sora stared hard at the carved rock that bared her name. He couldn't believe it had been six years already.

_Aerith Gainsborough_

_She will always be loved by friends and family._

Sora's tears tempted to fall as he remembered the event as clear as if it were yesterday.

"_Aerith! That isn't fair! How come you get a bed here and we don't?" Sora pouted._

_Aerith laughed at the eight year old kid. He hadn't grasped the meaning of a hospital yet at the age. It was a good thing too, he wasn't sick very often and it was a sign that he was healthy._

"_Because, Sora, only sick people get beds here. So I better not see you here any time soon, you hear me young man?"_

_Sora frowned and ran around the room, poking and prodding things. Cloud watched the boy explore the room. He was as curious as ever, even without Kairi and Riku around. Where the kid got his energy, Cloud never knew._

"_Aerith, I don't think it's safe to leave you here alone in the hospital. Sephiroth might come after you again."_

"_No, he won't. You injured him quite harshly, didn't you? I'm going to be all right, Cloud."_

"_But-"_

"_No buts. Go back home and get some sleep. You haven't slept a wink since I was stabbed, have you?"_

"_I just don't want to lose you again, okay?"_

"_You won't. Sora will be here. He'll protect me, right, Sora?"_

_Sora, who was by now pretending to be a doctor, looked at Aerith and nodded as eagerly as an eight year old could._

"_Yeah! I'll totally fight off the bad guys that even try to come near this room!"_

_Aerith smiled and looked at Cloud._

"_See?"_

_Cloud sighed and patted Sora's head. He couldn't help but feel a little bit of de-ja-vu. He leaned down and looked Sora in the eye._

"_I'm counting on you, okay Sora? I'll say hi to Riku and Kairi for you. Protect my girlfriend."_

_"Hey! Who told you to tell Sora I'm your girlfriend?"_

"_Yeah! Aerith's obviously my girlfriend!"_

_Cloud laughed and patted the kid's head again and left. Sora watched his retreating back with discontent. Aerith looked out of the window, the sunset was colouring the sky with the red orange hue that was so familiar to her. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes as she sensed the next few events that were going to happen._

_Sora looked at Aerith with confusion. What was happening? She looked so happy one moment and sad the next, Sora shook his head. He would never understand girls._

"_Sora, dear, I want you to go grab me some juice, okay? Ask the nice nurse outside and she'll help you out."  
"But Cloud said-"_

"_I know what Cloud said, Sora. But I'm really thirsty at the moment, so could you please get me some juice?"_

_Sora puffed his cheeks and muttered an agreement. Soon, he ran outside the room, quickening his pace lest Cloud found out he left her side for even one second. He found the nurse idly talking to a man in a lab coat, both laughing at some grown up joke Sora couldn't understand._

"_Ms. Nurse! Aerith really wanted some juice and I didn't want to go get her some because I would have to leave her alone and Cloud said not to leave her alone but I did anyway because she begged really hard and said she really needed some-"_

"_All right, all right! Just let me finish talking to this man, Sora and then we'll go get her some juice."_

_Sora looked at the man with discernment. He had long silver hair and tangerine eyes. His face was that of a hardened criminal but the reassuring smile on his face never faltered. The man looked at Sora with disinterest, nodding at the nurse and talking about things that were unequivocally confusing medical terms people around the hospital liked to throw around. Sora decided the man was scarier than Cloud when he was mad._

_After a few minutes of waiting, Sora finally got impatient and stomped his feet._

"_Fine! If you don't want to help me then I'll go back to Aerith and say you didn't help me! Meanie!"_

_Sora ran towards Aerith's room, barely registering the curse words coming out of the silver-haired man. His heart skipped beats, Aerith was in danger. He didn't understand where it came from, he didn't care how he knew, all he knew was that she was in danger and he had to help her. Finally getting to her room, Sora frantically screamed her name._

"_Aerith!"_

_What he saw that day would forever be imprinted in his mind. _

_A small figure, in a black hooded coat, had unmistakably impaled a giant silver key in Aerith's chest. Blood began to trickle down the bed, maroon overtaking the once pink blankets. Sora could barely speak as his knees buckled and he fell to the ground._

"_AERITH!"_

_Aerith looked at him one last time and smiled. The hooded figure had pushed the keyblade further in, making Sora scream louder. Aerith took in one last breathe and relayed her last message to Sora._

"_Tell Cloud… I'm sorry I… didn't tell… him."_

_A flash of light blinded Sora for a moment, the keyblade was gone. Everything that had happened in the past few minutes suddenly sank in Sora's mind. He had realized what he had done. He had left Aerith alone, for just one moment and because of that she's dead. Overwhelming guilt consumed Sora and he looked at the hooded figure. The guilt was replaced by anger and he found the ability to talk._

"_You!"_

"…"

"_How could you do this to me? To Aerith! What has she ever done to you! You killed her! Why? Who are you?"_

_Sora pointed at the hooded figure and that was when he realized that they were almost of the same height. _

"…_you're a child. You… you're the same age as me aren't you? How… how could you do this to us?"_

"_Shut up."_

_The child murderer summoned his keyblade again and pointed it at Sora._

"_You don't know anything."_

_The brunette was frozen with fear. He could feel the anger radiating off of the hooded figure whose voice seemed much older than it should have been. Slowly, the hooded figure approached the window while still pointing the keyblade at Sora. A few moments later, the murderer jumped through the window, leaving behind the memory Sora would forever despise._

Cloud went back to the hospital that day as fast as he could. By the time the doctors had reached Aerith's room, Sora had fainted and the hooded figure was gone. They had held the funeral the week after. Cloud did not speak to anyone for a month, instead delving deeper and deeper into training himself to exhaustion every night. For everyday of that month, Sora had gotten weaker and weaker from the guilt he had to face of leaving Aerith behind. Cloud was out training all the time and his brother Leon was helping Cid and Yuffie with their research on the Organization, nobody could cheer Sora up and remind him that it wasn't his fault. It wasn't until Tifa decided to knock some sense into the two idiots had they realized what they had been doing to the brunette. The two talked to Sora and soon enough, the kid had gotten healthier by the days and was able to run around with Riku and Kairi.

The trio then started their training in wielding swords, magic and defence skills. Soon after the training had started, each had summoned a weapon of their choice. Kairi had greatly advanced in healing techniques and had summoned a healing staff. Riku had managed to summon a strange keyblade of a sort, The Soul Eater. For Sora however, he had summoned the same type of keyblade Aerith's murderer had wielded. The Kingdom Key.

But whenever the others asked if he were okay with the weapon presented to him by his heart, he laughed and always replied the same thing.

"_I'm okay with it. It should be so ironic that the murderer is killed with his own weapon, right?"_

The breeze blew lightly on the grass, refreshing everyone's memories of Aerith and her love for nature. Hours passed by quickly and soon the sunset was upon them once more. The day was about to end. Sora stared to the horizon.

"It's sunset again."

"It wasn't your fault, Sora." Cloud replied.

"I know. You've told me dozens of times."

"…"

"I hate the sunset. I wish it would disappear. It reminds me of that day."

"But it strengthens your resolve, doesn't it?"

"…yeah."

One by one, the group went home. Yuffie, then Tifa, Cid, Riku, Kairi, Sora… they all left. Leon stood up, brushed off his pants and nodded at Cloud.

"Let's go. Enough moping for today."

"…"

Nevertheless, the blonde stood up and they went their own way, going their own lives on the day their love had died.

* * *

Axel pulled the string on a party pop.

"Happy 14th birthday, Roxas!"

The other Organization members clapped along monotonously with Axel's singing. Roxas was covered in party strings and shiny glitters and nodded at Axel.

"Thanks."

"All right! Now let's get you your birthday cake! Blow the candles! Ah, but you have to make a wish first. Don't tell anyone your wish, all right?"

Roxas nodded at Axel and thought for a moment and blew the candles. Everyone clapped once again and the redhead started giving everyone a slice of the cake.

"Fucking finally! Took you long enough to finish the damned mission." Xigbar said while eating the cake vigorously.

"Get off his back, Xigbar! It's his fucking birthday." Demyx replied to the Freeshooter.

The man waved the sitar user off and continued eating his cake. Everyone remained quiet for the rest of the evening, only talking menially about their future and past missions. Xemnas watched as his employees talk of many things. This was the only time of the year everyone gets along quiet well thanks to Axel's persuasive tongue and Roxas' reputation in the Organization. Nobody dared to defy the leader's pet on his birthday as Xemnas only allowed this one luxury to Roxas.

Xemnas's eyes then turned to Roxas. The kid had been forced to join the Organization at the age of five and not once has he heard him complain. The kid did his research, got his missions done, trained hard and was the perfect assassin and Nobody. All the other Organization members got along with him well to the point that they'd even defend Roxas during the rare times he made a mistake.

Xigbar was more the like the kid's trainer, honing his ability in the art of shooting. He had trained Roxas hard and well, not even giving the slightest bit of mercy when he missed a target. Despite all the torture he showed Roxas during training, it would all disappear once the kid wasn't looking. Often times Xigbar did some of Roxas's missions for him when he was too tired from training. It still confused Xemnas to no end as to what Xigbar saw in the kid.

Xaldin more or less tolerated the kid, only talking to him when needed. They nodded at each other in the hallways, worked well on missions and more often than not showed tough love rather than just "tough" to the kid. Xemnas waved this off to the mere fact that Xaldin treated all the teens in the Organization the same way.

Vexen. Well, he was dead anyway so there was nothing else to tell about him. He and Zexion were on a mission together and Zexion returned alone. The mission report stated that Vexen was being an idiot and landed in the enemy's hands and had gotten himself killed. This was more than enough explanation as the man was sometimes careless in times of panic.

Zexion was Roxas's tutor. He was everyone's tutor at one point. He had the biggest brains and he was the cleverest of tacticians in the group. The man had taken a strong interest in Roxas at a young age when he tested the kid for a simple experiment revealing that Roxas was more than meets the eye. Although Roxas was not as smart as Zexion, he had been able to identify many tactics useful for battle and in reconnaissance missions that the Organization used nowadays. The two always seemed to talk in code which definitely annoyed Xemnas but let the two go on with their habit as he understood the code (albeit with a cheat code Zexion had presented him with) and sometimes used it as well.

Saix tolerates the kid. Xemnas didn't really know what the werewolf was thinking. He never knew what the man was thinking. He gave them missions, did missions himself and barely talked to anyone else in the Organization. Sometimes the leader was tempted to place a spy within the group to observe their actions where he could not see.

Axel was Roxas's self-proclaimed best friend. Roxas didn't seem to mind the whole mothering hen thing and just let it pass. It started with the kid's first birthday party at the age of eight. It had taken Axel three years to break the kid's shell of avoiding other people, a record he was quite proud of. Sometimes Xemnas would notice that Roxas showed sliver of signs that he cared for Axel too. The kid would take his missions when he showed symptoms of fatigue and influenza. Most of the time he showed it by riding the skateboard Axel gave him every year for his birthday.

Demyx was the lazy ass of the group and mostly just used Roxas as a scapegoat. The kid didn't seem to mind and Demyx and Roxas's relationship was built on that. Axel always rants Demyx's ear off for doing that to Roxas and rants Roxas's ear off for not caring. He didn't really understand their dysfunctional relationship.

Luxord was the only member who most probably hated Roxas yet tolerated him enough not to create a fight. The man had challenged Roxas to a card game and Zexion's training had lead Roxas to win every duel the man had offered. The man is still finding a way to defeat Roxas and to the leader, this was a pathetic little reverie as Roxas still trains daily and seems to forget about the card's existence the moment he finished playing and collecting his munny.

Marluxia and Larxene didn't really get to know Roxas as they were dead before the kid had even joined the Organization.

Xemnas stared at his pet. Number XIII, the perfect Nobody. He never came back to the headquarters without finishing missions, kept evidence out of the policemen's sight and kept their enemies at bay. He smirked. He made the right decision that day, opting not to kill XIII's brother. Although Cloud had presented himself to be an obstacle, Roxas always got the better of him. Every time his brother had gotten close to the Organization, he always had managed to stir him away with fake evidence and lead his brother away from their Organization. That was their deal. As long as Roxas stayed in the Organization and Cloud kept out of their way, Xemnas wouldn't put out orders to the others to kill his brother. Roxas was strong, but he wasn't that strong. He couldn't keep fighting their lot forever.

Roxas stared at the birthday party presented for him. He had tolerated these things for Axel. The man had always gotten him a skateboard and Roxas usually liked his means of transportation every year. The headquarters was large, walking around would take an hour and the members just opted for the dark portals to transfer from one room to another so no one really bothered to use the hallways and the stairs, which made it optimal to use as a skateboarding rink. Demyx and Axel joined him sometimes but usually Roxas made his marks around the hallways, long black lines covering the walls and the floors. Not many of the Organization members knew that the hallways were such a mess, not even the leader. He would have been punished if it were ever found out.

"Here's your yearly present, Roxas."

Axel threw Roxas the brightly coloured box and started cleaning up. Everyone else was leaving and the party was over. Demyx just rested on the couch, licking icing off his fingers. Roxas caught the present nonchalantly and opened it up. It was another skateboard. The design was unique though, blue flames and dark ringed chains reined the background and the centrepiece was his weapon of choice, the Oblivion.

"Thanks."

Axel shrugged and Xemnas coughed to catch their attention.

"I have a mission for you two."

Xemnas snapped his fingers and revealed a folder in his hand. He threw a copy to both of them and started explaining.

"A group of rebels in a high school called "Destiny High" has started to come close to the truth about our existence. They have already pinpointed our future target, Hercules. He had been involved in some dealings of the underworld and was sent to be eliminated by Hades. However, due to the group warning him of the danger, IX had no chance to kill him as his father had hired them to protect him at all costs. His father used his connections and pinpointed Hades as the one who ordered the assassination of his son and now we have lost a very valuable customer. Find them and report back to me for further action."

"You mean kill them."

"No… we'll show them how the Organization deals with obstacles."

Roxas and Axel nodded.

Xemnas explained further.

"The two of you will try and approach the students and befriend them. Use your charm to get information out of them and concentrate on the mission. If you manage to get their trust, pry into their little group and find out everything you need to know. However if all else fails, kill them. So far, there are two groups of students that you need to focus on. One hangs out at an alley behind the clock tower of Twilight Town and the other group hangs out at Destiny Islands. Unfortunately, that is the only information IX could get out of the girl as he was not tactful."

"Hey! I was totally tactful and not creepy! That woman tried to rape me dammit!"

Axel smirked and was about to retort when Xemnas interrupted and told them to get ready.

"You leave tomorrow. Expect this to be a year-long mission. Other missions shall be sent to you otherwise."

The two nodded and went to their rooms to start packing, getting ready for the year ahead of them.

* * *

**Fudge I am finally finished. All right, this is like, sixteen pages long (because I put loads of spaces). Hope you enjoyed. Also, I lied about the rickety old house. That won't appear for another chapter or so.**


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

**Wow. I did not expect this many views. Thanks everyone. It's nice to know that my summary writing skills do not suck as much as they used to. **

**It takes me a few days to write one chapter because sometimes the scene I planned out would be played over in my head and I get frustrated when the scene doesn't add up with the story and I have to think of another plot point to replace that scene. I never used to do this so I'm just winging this.**

**Anyway, this chapter will include a cheerful Axel, a still straight faced Roxas, a sad Demyx, a curious Sora, a fanfiction made Destiny High and a true story.**

**Also, to the reviewer who complimented me with the word "mindfuckery", thank you. It made my day. **

* * *

The room was empty. Its white coloured walls were bare and the closet held nothing but a few rare memoirs Roxas hid here and there. No clothes were left behind and Roxas's bags were quite full. His bed free of wrinkles, his closet full of unnoticed junk over the years, his weapon cases full of unneeded weapons at the moment, Roxas realized his room was barely showed signs that a life was lived there for almost a decade.

It didn't say "Roxas", the kid who liked skateboarding and ice creams with Axel; it said "XIII", an assassin whose life's purpose was to serve the Organization. The weapon cases shaped like violin cases neatly stacked up one another said stealth was a specialty. The books shelved in the bookcases said "The Art of War" was a favourite, with the noticeable dog-eared pages darkening the tip of the book while other books were read only once and put back as they were in mint condition. The bags hidden in the upper shelves of the closet were small and carry-on, it said loud and clear that Roxas travelled a lot.

The rectangular area free of dust on the table said that there used to be something there that was barely moved, a laptop, quite frequently used for writing mission reports and researching on targets. No CD's or handheld controllers were stacked near the technology hub area of the room, indicating that it was strictly used for business purposes only.

Roxas, no, XIII didn't want to leave a trace behind. That much was obvious.

Grabbing his skateboard by the tip, he opened a dark portal. Using the skateboard as a mode of transportation today would be more of a nuisance than anything else. The four wheeled vehicle could not carry the weight of a bulky bag. It was time to start the mission briefing and he didn't want to miss a single detail.

As soon as Roxas had entered the lobby proper, he was tackled to the ground.

"Roxas! Hey! We were just about to start the mission briefing."

"Hey, Axel."

The redhead smiled at his best friend. Although they didn't have hearts, everyone in the Organization but Roxas pretended they had one. If they didn't, they would most probably go insane. Every time Axel thought about it, he wondered how long until Roxas would go insane. Not that he wanted the blonde to do so; it was just curious thinking from his logical part of the brain, is all.

The two then turned to Saix who then gave them a nod. He noticed that they had packed up practically everything they had owned. This was going to be a long term mission, after all. It would not be wise just to pack clothes worth one week as it would be a waste of time to go back to the headquarters every week to grab new clothes every now and then.

"The leader has already briefed you on the main details, but nevertheless I will summarize it for you. You two will pose as high school students at a learning institution called 'Destiny High'. According to our informant, there are a group of students who had managed to inform our previous target ahead of time and due to a series of unfortunate events, had managed to capture and kill one of our very valuable clients, Hades. The leader wants you to investigate on this matter. So far, there are two significant groups in our radar that seem to be plausible members of a still unknown group of assailants whose aim is to destroy our Organization. Here are their pictures."

Saix distributed copies of different stolen shots on the school grounds. A group of students were walking on what seemed to be a garden. A brown haired boy, a silver haired boy and a red haired girl were shown laughing. In another picture, the brown haired boy was sleeping while the silver haired kid looked like he was trying to keep a straight face as the girl of the group continued painting what seemed to be a moustache on the kid. Other pictures showed them usually laughing or smiling outright, the only moment they were caught serious was on what seemed to be a competition in a game of volleyball.

"This group is always seen together and are only apart from one another when in classes or in clubs. The informant had believed them to be significant as they were seen talking to the target a day before the assassination was set to take place. Watch them carefully as the informant warns them to be skilled in different categories of fighting, making them more suspicious of the failure of IX's mission. Unfortunately, their names are unknown as our informant had died before she could say anything else. They are usually spotted at Destiny Islands, the training area near the school."

Saix took out another folder from his coat and distributed different stolen pictures. The pictures were quite different from the ones shown earlier, one aspect being the faces of the teens. The first picture drew three friends, a blonde kid, a sporty brunette and a chubby dark haired teen. A scowl was present on the blonde's face as the sporty brunette smiled awkwardly as she tried to calm him down. The chubby teen was at the far side, caught in the middle of a sigh.

For the next few photos of the second group, all they could see were brawling, eating and hanging out. The group smiled a bit more in the photos shown, the smile only disappearing once another muscled blonde kid was in the background, smirking.

"This group is always seen together after school but they are not usually seen together at school. The informant was quite sure of their significance in the failure of IX's mission as they had collectively talked to the target frequently a week before the assassination was to take place. The three talked to the target in hushed tones and had to be followed cautiously before they approached the target. You should be highly cautious before approaching this group, as they are wary of new people and are considered quite antisocial by their peers. They are usually seen hanging out in an alley behind the clock tower as said by the leader before."

Saix quickly replaced the photos back in their respective folders, setting them on the table. He took out a pair of medicine bottles and handed them out to the two teens.

"This will mostly likely be a yearlong mission and not a six month mission as the leader said before. You are to befriend them and try to join their group. However, even as you have this mission for a year, you will still be tackling your normal missions like before. They will be reduced from the usual five missions per week to a maximum of three hard missions per week. These pills are to help you stay awake in school in order not to raise suspicion when your three missions per week tire you too much. The maximum dosage Zexion had calculated is three pills per month. There are thirty six pills in each bottle. If you are too fatigued to go to school after a mission, you are to inform your acting guardian and he will inform the school your absence."

Axel grabbed his bottle and shook it. Satisfied, he put the bottle in his pocket. Roxas shook it as well and nodded.

"However, the maximum number of times you are to be absent for every month is three. If you decide to be absent for more than the three allotted days, you will be punished by your acting guardian accordingly."

Axel raised an eyebrow.

"And who exactly is the asshole that gets to kick our ass for missing more than three days of school for every month?"

"That lucky asshole happens to be sitting right behind you, Axel."

Axel turned around to see Xigbar sitting on the couch's back cushion. The black haired pirate was quite comfortable wearing a white shirt paired with a black vest. He was wearing denim jeans paired with the usual black boots issued by the Organization.

"You asshole, you're going to terrorize us for a year? Roxas, complain with me here! Just look at the guy's fashion sense, he's obviously thought Halloween today and decided to be a wife-beating biker mixed with a pirate!"

Xigbar smacked Axel on the head.

"Shut up. You're under my care now and who fuckin' said that green teardrop tattoos were fuckin' A? Because I don't think I've ever seen such an unsightly combination."

The two were about to start bickering when Roxas interrupted the quickly forming argument.

"Axel and I are two years apart, which class should each of us be in?"

"The leader decided that you'd be a freshman, XIII. Axel, you're going to be a sophomore. Roxas, you aren't even supposed to be in high school yet. The two groups are going to be freshmen on the campus. They had decided to study in the institution to keep an eye on the previous target, in case any other clients wanted to eliminate them. Luckily, VI has already trained you in that subject seeing as you've mastered quite about until a high school diploma education."

"And what about me?"

"VIII… you're just about the level of a high school sophomore. No need to feel insecure, though. XIII has just covered wider topics due to his fast learning ability."

"Screw you, Roxas."

"…I'd rather not be an object attached to another object wrapped helically around an axis, Axel."

"…"

"That's Physics, by the way genius. The answer is screwed." Xigbar said, moving off his bags to the dark portal.

"Dammit, Roxas!"

Saix closed the folders and gave them last minute data about their mission.

"If you two are ever asked your last names, answer Roxas Sutoraifu and Axel Daremo. You may go. Good luck."

The two teens nodded and followed Xigbar suit to their new apartment.

It was going to be a long year.

* * *

"You guys! I can't believe we're going to be in high school!"

Sora jumped up and down on the sidewalk, catching the attention of a few early morning joggers. Kairi apologized to them silently and glared at the brunette.

"Sora! Quit acting like a middle-schooler and start acting like you're in high school! People are staring, jeez. And you're wearing the uniform, too!"

The brunette stopped and dusted himself off. The uniform looked quite good, too. They were required to wear the issued black slacks. The top consisted of the white polo shirt and the navy blue necktie. Sora was happy with the school's outfit; it was casual and formal all at the same time.

"You're having fun with your uniform too, Kairi!" Riku snickered.

Kairi blushed at the comment and waved him off. Sora looked at Kairi, Riku was right; she was having fun flaunting the whole uniform. It consisted of a white polo shirt that was supposed to be loose around the waist but Sora saw that she had sewn the edges so it would hug her curves but not too much that it would be revealing. The navy blue necktie had one white stripe on the edge, revealing the year level of the student (In Kairi's case, it was freshman). The skirt's length reached the knee and the baby blue knee high socks made quite an interesting combination.

"Yeah, Kairi! You're just strutting your stuff, aren't you?"

"Shut up!" And the redhead punched Sora on the arm playfully.

"But it sort of sucks that Hercules was almost killed, huh?" Riku interrupted.

The two nodded and a silence was maintained for a moment.

"It was a good thing we had joined the advanced training program during summer. Hercules was unbeatable, wasn't he?" Kairi said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, too unbeatable. He was targeted by Organization XIII just for that! Seriously, I can't believe that Nico kid's dad had contacts there. How did he even manage that?"

"I don't know, Sora. Cloud and the others had managed to stop the attempt, anyway. The guy ran away before he even got a shot. Freaking guy managed to destroy all evidence leading to them, too."

The three thought for a moment, walking in silence until they had reached the school. They had gotten there quite early, taking in the morning silence before students walked the hallways filling the emptiness with noise. The three walked around the campus, memorizing hallways and classroom directions lest they get lost in the middle of the day.

As the three were walking around the main building, they noticed the principal's office was already open. Whispers were heard inside and the three stared. A few minutes later, two students walked out of the office. Sora raised an eyebrow. That was strange, what were these students doing in the principal's office so early in the morning?

"Ooh, freshmen. Just like us!" Kairi squealed with excitement.

"How would you know that? The boy's uniform doesn't signify what level we're in." Riku asked while observing the two males.

"I don't know? I just know, okay? Let's go greet them!"

Kairi ran off towards the strangers and her entourage followed suit. Her black shoes squeaked against the shiny tiles of the hallway and the strangers instantly looked up, only to be greeted by the redhead right in front of them.

"Hi! My name's Kairi. I'm a freshman. These two are my best friends, Sora and Riku. The brunette's Sora and Riku's the one with long hair. You guys are freshmen too, right? I mean, I'm only assuming here but you guys don't really look like seniors or anything and no student would get to school this early and-"

"That was unexpected." The taller of the strangers spoke, grinning.

Sora observed the strangers in front of him. The redhead was quite tall, towering over anyone else in the hallway at the moment. He had dark green eyes that seemed to reflect nothing. His hair was long and spiky, staying still and defying gravity. His smile seemed cold, but apart from anything else, he looked quite decent. Somewhat nice, even.

The blonde that stood beside the redhead was a mystery to Sora though. He had cold cobalt blue eyes and spiky blonde hair. He wasn't wearing a smile like the redhead, though. He was just staring at the group looking quite relaxed yet suspicious. His poker face was quite intimidating. Sora could tell that Riku was curious about the two students. Who were they?

"Sorry, I tend to ramble on when I'm nervous. Anyway, what are your names?"

The redhead's smile widened even more and Sora relaxed. Maybe he was just nervous meeting other people and that cold smile earlier was just from some weird sort of habit.

"I'm Axel. Sorry, I'm not a freshman. Sophomore, though. This here's my best friend, Roxas. He's the freshman. We're new here, that's why we're early. Heh. Got you guys wondering, huh?"

Roxas stared at the persons in front of him. If he had recalled correctly, these were the people in the photos. He memorized every detail about them in person. Their posture, their height, weight, faces and everything else in between. His scrutinizing glare seemed to intimidate the girl, her eyes dilated ever so often and her arms started crossing and uncrossing unconsciously.

"Does Roxas talk or is he really just mute? Haha, not that I have anything against those kinds of people, of course!" Kairi replied rather enthusiastically, trying to make conversation.

"Meh, he's just really like that. Don't worry, once you'll get to know him you'll get used to his cold shoulder crap."

"Ah, I see. Hi, Roxas!" Kairi extended her hand and smiled.

The blonde ignored her hand and waved it off. Axel sighed and apologized silently for his friend. Roxas proceeded to walk away from the group, leaving the redhead behind.

"Oi! Roxas! Come back here you idiot!"

Axel looked at the group. From what he could remember, they were one of the suspected groups that had secretly withheld information about the Organization and was rumoured to be part of the assailants that want to tear down everyone involved in the Organization. He tried to rack his brain of any information Saix might have mentioned about ignoring the mission objective but nothing came up. Where was the great actor Roxas mentioned casually in mission reports and during ice cream breaks?

"I'm really sorry about my friend. First day nerves? Anyway, you might see him in your classes today, so please go easy on him. He's not exactly a people person so he might have a hard time talking to others and so I'm counting on you to keep an eye out for him. See ya around!"

And the redhead exited the scene as quickly as he came around.

"Well… that was awkward."

"Shut up, Riku. I was trying to be nice and that guy just blew me off!"

"Relax, Kairi. Axel said the guy wasn't exactly the type to talk, right? Anyway, people are starting to fill up the hallways. Let's split up and see which classes we've got for first period."

"This is the first time we won't be having the same classes together, huh?" Sora realized.

"Yeah, but change is good. We'll still have lunch together anyway. See you guys around!" And three split up to find their respective classes.

* * *

Sora walked around the campus for a few more minutes before finally finding his homeroom. He entered the classroom quietly and saw that a few people were already inside, either listening to some music or looking around the classroom nervously. A seat was free near the window and the brunette walked briskly over to the seat, put his bags down and sat comfortably. He looked at the wall clock, there were a few minutes before homeroom started and people started walking in the room one by one.

He looked at the window instead, trying to calm his racing heart of the thoughts that were going through his head. It was the first day of high school and Leon, his brother, was barely any help at all as to what high school was like even though they had graduated from this very institution seven years ago. The brunette didn't even dare to try and ask Cloud, the man was terrifying and he wasn't really a good speaker.

"Everyone? May I have your attention please."

Sora's attention returned back to the classroom, he realized it had been filled while he was daydreaming and started listening to the teacher in front.

"I am your homeroom teacher. Welcome to Destiny High. Homeroom is basically a free period so feel free to do anything during this time as long as you aren't being noisy, I don't really care. Enjoy. I'll be right here."

The teacher smiled at his class and returned to his book. Sora shrugged it off and decided to make friends. He looked to his right to see who his seatmate was, only realizing then that he was sitting beside the guy they had met in the hallway earlier, Roxas.

"Uh… hi, Roxas."

The blonde nodded, acknowledging Sora's presence but did not look at him. Instead he grabbed a notebook from his messenger bag and started writing indefinitely. Sora felt like he should help the guy out and started trying to make conversation.

"Uh… so, how do you like high school so far?"

Roxas stared at the brunette, who by his body language was nervous about his surroundings yet tried to maintain a confident façade. He sighed and decided to just talk in case in would be beneficial to their mission. At this point in time Roxas noted that he should have a talk with Axel about the mission possibilities and objectives.

"It's fine. A bit boring, I guess."

Sora smiled, he was finally getting a response out of the guy. Kairi would be so jealous.

"Haha, well the first days are always like that. Soon enough we'd have enough homework to last us a lifetime!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! Well, I'm not really sure. I'm just speaking from experience. My brother Leon used to study here. He graduated seven years ago though so I'm not really sure about the details. All I remember is him muttering how he hated school."

"…I see."

"You know, you're really quiet. It must be pretty quiet at your house, huh?"

"Not really. Axel and our guardian keep silence at bay most of the time."

"You live with Axel, your best friend? That's so cool! I live with Riku and Kairi and they're my best friends. Actually, I live with most of my friends since we just consider each other as family. We didn't used to do so, but something happened and we lived together, just like that."

"…how long?"

"Huh?"

"How long has it been since you guys started living together?"

"Oh. Well, I was around seven when it happened. My brother and I used to live in this really small apartment and then we just suddenly moved to this huge complex and that's how me and Riku and Kairi met. There are other people too, though but those two are the only ones in my age group."

"I see."

The conversation died down a little and Sora tried thinking of new topics to discuss. He was finally getting the blonde interested and he wasn't going to give up on a new friend. It would be good to have a new friend aside from the Riku and Kairi. They had been spending way too much time together anyway.

"You know, you kind of remind me of someone I know."

Roxas raised a brow and stopped writing in his notebook.

"Really?"

"Yeah. He's quiet, too. He's got blonde hair, sort of like yours but a bit lighter. I feel like I'm meeting a younger version of him. Heh. It's pretty funny, though. If I didn't know Cloud, I would've said you were brothers!"

Roxas quickly continued writing on his notebook again, listening intently to the brunette beside him.

"Anyway, he's a pretty quiet guy but he's nice. He likes exploring and training a lot, though so I don't really know him that well. Leon knows him well, they used to be these fierce rivals but that sort of mellowed down over the years."

"Leon is your brother, right?"

"Yeah. How about you, do you have a brother?"

"…I do."

"Really? What's his name?"

"I don't know. I haven't heard from him in years."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's all right."

Roxas continued writing things down on his notebook, once in a while stopping and looking around the classroom. Sora tapped his fingers on his desk. He wanted to know more about Roxas. He had a strange feeling about Roxas. Something wasn't quite right in his mind and Roxas's actions made him more and more curious about the blonde and the shield he put up around him. The guy barely spoke or said anything about himself which wasn't even the big mystery, but the way he just stared at things like they were nothing in his mind. Sora knew he was being nosy, but he had never seen a guy this stoic before. Even Cloud would have been intimidated with his stare.

"So… uhm, how old are you anyway, Roxas?"

"I'm fourteen."

"Wow. You got in high school a year early? That's really something! I barely had enough time to finish the entrance exam here!"

"I was homeschooled."

"Whoa. I haven't met a lot of people who were homeschooled. You must've had one heck of a teacher, huh? Oh, I remember seeing that someone had perfected the entrance exams this year! Who do you think it was, Roxas?"

Roxas shrugged it off and continued writing on his notebook. As soon as Sora had decided on another topic to speak about, someone burst into the room, catching the attention of everyone else. Roxas looked up and saw a blonde student with camouflage messenger bag. The keyblade wielder observed the student who had walked in the homeroom quickly, walking past the homeroom teacher without even so much as an apology for being tardy. The teacher waved him off and continued reading his book. The guy sat beside Roxas and glared at anybody who dared to look at him.

Roxas confirmed it; this student was from the other group Saix had mentioned.

Sora tried not to stare at the newcomer beside Roxas. It was obvious he was a troublemaker and decided to stay away from him. Roxas on the other hand had different plans in mind.

"Roxas. Nice to meet you."

The blonde raised an eyebrow and eyed Roxas suspiciously.

"…Hayner. What do you want?"

"Want to be friends?"

"…if you think it takes just that to get to know me, then screw you."

Hayner grabbed his iPod and plugged in his earphones. Roxas observed his seatmate. His posture was defensive and his personality was quite indifferent. Scars covered most of his arms and a new bandage was on applied on what seemed to be an aberration. His messenger bag held but one trinket: a keychain. It was silver, replacing the pull tab on the zipper with a shiny skateboard replica.

Roxas clicked his pen to retract the ink cartridge back. He was finished writing his observations with the two targets that were near him. Now it was time to test out tactics with one of the two. Obviously the brunette, Sora, had wanted nothing to do with Hayner. He looked at Roxas and ignored Hayner, all the while wanting to have a conversation with him. Roxas decided that Axel would do better with Sora than he would.

For the next few minutes Sora tried speaking to Roxas, only to end up giving out more personal information about himself rather than know anything more about the enigma. Any questions he asked were replied with a vague answer and it was rare that Roxas spoke about himself.

"What do you do for fun?"

"Stuff."

"Oh, I like swimming and training. How long have you known Axel?"

"A long time. Training?"

"Yeah. My friends and I are experts at different types of martial arts. I'm an expert in Kendo! Ah, well, I'm in the 3rd dan but Leon says I'm good enough to fight people in real life. I just like calling myself an expert, I guess."

"I see."

"Riku knows Karate, Tifa teaches him all about it. According to her, he's supposed to be in the _Sankyu_ right now. It's a pretty high level, according to him. Tifa's one of our guardians, by the way. How about you, do you know any sort of martial arts?"

"…sort of."

"Really! What is it?"

"Mixed, I guess."

"Ah, do you think you're an expert in that?"

"I don't know, all the people I fight in it are amateurs so I always win."

"Oh. Wow, you must be pretty strong!"

"Not really."

"Anyway, too bad it wasn't Aikido. Kairi would have freaked. She's never met someone her group age that knows Aikido. Yuffie teaches her all about it but Kairi just really wants a friend in our age to talk to that's a girl."

"That's normal."

"Yeah! So, what's your favourite food?"

"I don't know."

"Colour?"

"I don't know."

"Subject?"

"Nothing."

"Singer?"

"Not sure."

"Sport?"

"A lot."

"Book?"

"A lot."

"T.V. series?"

"I don't watch."

"Hobby?"

"I don't know."

"Dreams?"

"Don't have any."

This conversation went on for the next hour; Sora had gotten almost nothing out of the blonde except that he doesn't watch television, likes reading books, likes sports, doesn't have any favourites and doesn't have opinions about much else. Roxas kept answering ambiguously and Sora didn't have the heart to say anything that might anger his new friend. It already seemed like Roxas had wanted to befriend that Hayner kid much more than he wanted to talk to Sora and that was not a good sign. Kairi would kill him for not helping out and Axel really seemed like a nice guy.

The bell rang outside, signalling the end of first period and Sora looked at his time card only to realize he had English class next. He sighed, Roxas and Hayner had already left the room and soon the other students were piling up out in the hallways. He grabbed his bag and ran out the room too. He might be late for English class, and it was his favourite class too.

* * *

Soon enough, hours flew by and lunchtime came quickly. Roxas reunited with Axel in the cafeteria, spotting the redhead immediately by the vending machines.

"Oi, Roxas! How was your first day?"

"I've one class with Sora and three classes with Hayner, the blonde from the other group. Homeroom, Biology and Elementary Algebra. I've one class with Kairi, Gym. I've got two classes with Riku: Gym and English. What about you?"

"All my classes have Riku, Kairi or Sora in it. Those three managed to pop out in all my classes, lucky! We'll be out of this place in no time!"

"I've gathered information about Sora's group but not much with Hayner's. I think its best that you take their group as the target and my group would be with Hayner's. It seems we have much more in common rather than those three."

"Already? Oh yeah, I seem to have picked up some information you might be interested in."

"What is it?"

"They know your brother, Roxas."

"So I've heard."

"But won't that hinder the mission? What if he sees you?"

"It doesn't matter. He won't remember."

Axel glared at his best friend suspiciously.

"Yes, it does. What if those three really were the ones who informed Hercules? What if they managed to get the information right and Xemnas decided to kill them all. What would you do then, huh?"

"…"

"Damn it, Roxas! You can't keep doing this every time your brother gets involved in missions!"

"Yes, I can. I've done it before and I'll do it again."

"Xemnas will find out about it, what the fuck would you do if he realizes what you're doing, huh?"

"It's none of your business."

"Yes, it is! I'm your best friend and if your sabotaging the mission then I will know about it because screw you, Roxas! Not everyone wants to get rid of you."

Axel slammed his fist against the wall. This was not how this mission was supposed to go. The redhead looked at his best friend and pointed accusingly.

"You will tell me everything there is to know about your brother. _Tonight._"

"I-"

"Xigbar's out on a mission so you better tell me what the fuck you plan to do this time. Got it? Or else."

Axel walked away, unsure whether or not he had done the right thing by provoking his best friend.

It didn't matter either way, he decided. He would be getting what he wanted. He's Axel! If he can manipulate fire, he could sure manipulate people.

Marluxia and Larxene fell for it, why not Roxas?

* * *

**Finished. Ugh, this chapter's like a filler but it isn't. This chapter is extremely important to the story, you hear?**

**Also, I borrowed a character from an anime. Care to guess who it was and which character?**

**This is as long as the other chapter. Yeay consistency!**

**Anyway, I think I'll be updating the next chapter in TWO WEEKS. Terribly sorry but my exams are next week and guess who hasn't reviewed for a single damned subject? I have!**

**I lied about the true story, though. And Demyx. But they will come... soon. It seemed to have slipped my mind to insert that in. No worries, the rickety old house is coming up next! Also, since I'm sure practically nobody reads this little author segments I'm going to go ahead and give a little hint for the next chapter: it involves a flashback and some strange mudkips/timeskips.**

**Hope to hear from you guys soon. It's nice to know that while one person unsubscribed to my story, I gained like, five or six more people. Love you lots.**

**See you in two weeks.**


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

**I don't own this anime.**

**Did I just watch a horrific documentation at a very late night? Yes, I did. And did I watch it with my insane cousins who fell asleep halfway through and had to be woken up loudly because I was scared because the lights were off? Yes, I did. I am insane and it is Halloween.**

**Anyway, thanks for everyone who reviewed. And everyone who put this story in their favourites. And to everyone who put this story on their story alert. It's nice to know that people are anticipating the fourth chapter of this story. May I mention this is the longest I've gone keeping my updates consistent?**

**This chapter consists of an emotional Axel, a not-so-indifferent Roxas, a friendly Hayner, a progress in the story, and maybe a rickety old house. Maybe.**

* * *

A month passed by and the students had gotten used to their everyday life at Destiny High. In that short period of time, Axel had managed to befriend Sora and his friends. Slowly but surely they started trusting the redhead who gave more information than necessary to his newly found friends about himself. They found out Axel was an orphan, a pyromaniac and an overprotective friend when it came to Roxas.

For that month, whenever the topic of his blonde friend came up, his expression softened even if it was just the slightest fraction and he started talking about him quite fervently yet at the same time controllably, as if trying to restrain himself from giving more information that needed. He'd tell them his birthdate, his fond memories of the guy but whenever it came to just asking how the guy was; Axel just gave the vaguest of answers.

For that month, Roxas had gained a reputation in the school. He was known as the "Carbon Cloud" by the teachers and the "hot freshman" by the students' feminine population. Whenever the teachers were asked why he was called "Carbon Cloud", many would smile and just reply that it was an inside joke amongst the older staff. Sora and his friends knew that they were referring to their Cloud.

Sora knew how Cloud acted around other people and managed to understand what the staff meant. Cloud was the stoic, quiet student who tried to avoid any sort of attention at the school, instead focusing his efforts on the barely visible track that the Organization leaves. Of course, the school didn't know they were part of such a hunt for the four years Cloud and Leon spent in the school. Yet Cloud still managed to catch their attention.

He was always urged to join the sports teams that the school offered and was usually coerced into competing for the school's championship. Most of the time Cloud usually refused the offer, citing his part time job as an excuse. It was a lie, of course. However there were times that Leon would manage to convince him to join, citing the extra credit as an excuse. Sora knew the real reason though, Leon just really wanted Cloud to remember he had a life outside of the Organization.

It was strange, now that Sora thought about it. There were times that Cloud was so sure he was near to catching the Organization in its act. During those sure moments, he would disappear from the face of the earth for days, leaving a message saying he's found a clue of their whereabouts. Tifa was usually worried sick about him and would try and find where he went without avail. A few days later, Cloud would return in a horrid mood, training and training and researching again until he dropped from exhaustion.

It had happened most often right after Aerith was murdered. Cloud and Leon were in their senior year and their grades had dropped considerably low and Uncle Cid had to be called to the principal's office. They had to join some sort of sports team at that point and that was the only year that they had actually joined a club.

Nowadays, it rarely happened that they would get some sort of information about the Organization. Their biggest breakthrough was the Hercules case, and that only happened because Hades's kid Nico called them about suspecting his father had decided to get rid of his competition in the volleyball championships for the most valuable player. Even then the lead had gotten them nowhere with the designated assassin destroying all evidence a homicide was about to occur.

In that month, Sora had tried to befriend Roxas during their only class, homeroom. However, the blonde seemed to have an aversion to him and tended to be more interested in what Hayner was saying. A week after Roxas managed to introduce himself to Hayner, they became quick friends. Sora couldn't understand at first, but realized it when they mentioned that they liked skateboards. With nothing to boast about other than his skills at keyblade wielding (which was a secret so he couldn't really boast about it), Sora soon drifted away from Roxas's circle and started getting closer and closer to Axel.

When the one month had passed by, Sora and his friends sat at the cafeteria cheering.

"It's been one month of high school, guys! What do you think about it so far?"

"It sucks, Axel. I can't wait for summer."

"Don't be bumming around, Sora! You've still got three years left!"

"Why do you keep hanging out with us freshies, anyway? Don't you have sophomore friends to tend to?"

"Unfortunately, no. They all hate me because I'm a smart ass. Got it memorized?"

"Or they all hate you because you add that to every end of the sentence. Commit THAT to memory!"

"…you suck, Riku."

"I don't suck and you know it."

The redhead rolled his eyes and drank his soda. The three really had grown on him with their petty jokes and clever comebacks. The month had progressed by quickly and he was getting a head start on his mission quite thoroughly. According to the book Zexion had lent them the last time he visited, a friend feels comfortable around you when one insults you without fear.

The four started about classes again and how Axel's standing in the academic levels became. The group was divided into two with Sora and Riku defending that Axel should have been a freshie and not a sophomore seeing as most of the classes he's taking are for freshmen and Axel and Kairi fought for their side, proclaiming that Axel takes sophomore classes as well.

While the four were fighting for their side, Roxas walked in the cafeteria trying to ignore the stares he was getting from the others. Whispers filled the cafeteria as the blonde walked in the room.

Roxas ignored the stares, going over the day like nothing was wrong. He approached the vending machines as quickly as possible. Water would be nice to stuff down his throat right now.

Axel finally noticed the silence and observed the crowd. Something had caught everyone's attention, but what? Or who? Noting the direction of everyone's stare, his eyes narrowed.

Axel stood up from his seat, careful not to make a sound. He made quiet careful steps and approached the blonde who was now drinking down his newly bought bottle of water, holding on his other hand what seemed to be a bottle of pills.

"…Roxas?"

Sora hadn't even realized that Axel had approached the blonde. Riku and Kairi were busy trying to understand why everyone had stopped talking all at once. When they heard Axel's voice echo through the whispers, their heads snapped towards his voice.

Roxas stopped drinking and opened his bottle of pills. He took three out and swallowed them quickly, drinking them down alongside with the contents of his bottled water. The container now empty, he threw it in the trash bin and proceeded to buy another bottle of water.

"…Roxas!"

He twisted the top open and started drinking once again. Water was a nice soothing effect on his throat and he needed the slightest bit of relief on his aching body.

"Dammit, Roxas! Fucking look at me!"

Axel threw Roxas's bottled water on the ground furiously, spilling the contents messily on the floor. He looked closely at his best friend. Roxas took a glance at him and sighed out of exhaustion.

The redhead looked at Roxas prudently. His head was covered in the familiar white bandages and his right arm was bleeding profusely under the already dark bandage. His arms were bruised lightly and a bandage was wrapped under his polo shirt, peeking through the buttons on his polo. Axel knew Roxas did the bandaging himself as they were quite sloppy.

"…what the fuck happened?"

The blonde stared at him for a moment and raised an eyebrow knowingly. Of course Axel knew what the fuck happened, he did his required missions all in one night. Axel realized that this was the reason Roxas had been leaving so early in the morning and returning so late in the evening. He felt an impending rage pound in his head.

"…you idiot. Why the fuck didn't you tell me?"

"…you know the answer, Axel."

Axel's fumed even more. The students felt the cafeteria getting warmer and many went to call the school staff. Axel realized he was starting to release his power and tried to calm down and nullify his own powers. Roxas noticed the changes in the temperature and helped Axel out, conjuring up a small Blizzard spell around Axel to cancel out his heat.

"Fuck you! These past few weeks you've been ignoring me and leaving me with unanswered questions and you fucking expect me to know what's going on in your head?"

"..."

"Speak to me, damn it! I can't always read your damned mind, Roxas!"

Axel couldn't take it anymore; he punched the blonde right in the jaw. Red was the only thing Axel could see at this point and nothing was stopping him from making Roxas into his personal punching bag. Before he could control himself, Axel landed punch after punch, only regaining his senses when he was held back.

"Axel, stop!"

"Axel, STOP!"

"Axel, look at who you're beating up!"

Finally, Axel stopped squirming in Sora's and Riku's grip. Roxas was held by other students, many asking if he was okay or not and whether or not they should bring him to the nurse's office. Axel looked at what he had done.

Blood started seeping on his head bandages once again and the bandage on his right arm was now soaked. Roxas looked paler than usual and the overall blood covering his head and arms were increasing by the minute. The students looked at the situation and decided to carry the blonde to the nurse's office without his permission. His condition had gotten worse and he wasn't even better off to begin with.

Axel wanted to punch himself for doing this to his best friend.

Before he noticed it, Axel was already back on his seat. Many of the students stared at the redhead for a while, only for their stares to be returned with a cold glare. Soon, the crowd returned to their daily activities, glancing back at the newly rumoured insane sophomore that is Roxas's best friend.

The rest of the lunch hour was spent in silence.

* * *

The headquarters was quiet. It was the eerie sort of silence, one that kept your guard at bay and your sanity on edge. Even the lesser nobodies walking around with their arms and legs swishing about in the hallways and in the garden were making no sound at all. The Samurai Nobodies were even more silent than usual, their master was away and there was nothing to do but guard the headquarters.

Only nine people lived in the headquarters, now six thanks to the new mission Axel, Roxas and Xigbar had been given the last month. Despite the small number of people living in the Organization's base, the leader had opted to create a giant building of the sort, if you could call it that. There were fourteen floors, if you counted the basement and the gardens outside made the place look like a nice place to stay. There were even the two Olympic sized pools in the back gardens; alongside with a huge garden maze that no one in particular visited.

Marluxia used to tend to these gardens, cutting and planting and watering every plant he cared for. He made the gardens what they were now. Since his death, the lesser nobodies did his job for him. The leader had grown to like the gardens; they were perfect for discussing business with clients instead of the cold, air conditioned air inside his office whenever it was summer. Sometimes the gardens were used as training grounds when the usual training grounds were barely usable from the destruction the members inflicted upon it.

The Olympic sized pools were used often by the older members, mostly the bachelors who brought back ladies to try and impress them (but mostly for seeing them in swimwear was enough use of the pool all on its own). The younger members used the pools for recreational things like swimming and exercising. Demyx was usually the one who spent the most time in the pool though, water being his affinity.

The building itself was a big mystery. Ever since the leader had started the Organization XIII, the headquarters had never changed. It was like he himself knew the number of floors needed the amount of members he would recruit and the needs and wants of the members. Each floor was a specifically designed place for each member. The higher the floor on the building, the higher your rank went. Xemnas lived on the 13th floor, ignoring the superstitions implied upon the number. It was quite ironic, he had called it the first floor of the building and implied that the original first floor would be the 13th floor.

The members knew what he was trying to achieve, though. The sky was not the limit for Xemnas, it was the beginning.

Although every member had his own floor, there were some special exceptions. Once a member dies, all his belongings will be destroyed and a grave would be instilled in the basement floor.

The basement floor was probably the biggest of all the storeys in the building, excluding the leader's place. It contained the graves of the three members that had already passed away. They were spaced strangely, like there were missing gaps between the members. The other members didn't know about it, but the spaces were reserved for their future deaths.

Xemnas liked to think of it as symbolic, that even in death they will never escape the Organization.

The grave never used to be there, though. The basement was their meeting room before. It had thirteen luxurious chairs arranged in a circle. When the first two members died, Xemnas didn't account for their deaths and decided that the basement be a grave for those who died. The meeting room was moved to his place and it became a lobby more than anything else.

The floors that used to occupy the three deceased members were converted into recreational rooms. Marluxia's room was turned into a training room. It was a computer simulated training room that helped train the new blood. Back when the younger members had joined just recently, they were trained in Marluxia's death infested room. He had just died and the plants in his floor were restless, releasing toxins and irritating gases.

Larxene's room was the torture chamber, to put it frankly. Her death had given way to all her weaponry and torture items. The woman was a sadistic killer and often made her victims suffer more than what was paid for. Her unfortunate demise in the Organization's enemies was a terrifying ordeal, but from what the reports on her cadaver looked like, she laughed all the way through the pain. Xemnas felt a little proud of his choice, she had never given them the satisfaction of her scream.

Vexen's room was a little bit different, though. His place was turned into a gaming room. From the increase in assets the Organization had gotten, Xemnas had decided that a game room would be acceptable within the budget. Nerf guns were stored in the glass cabinets, board games were stalked upon one another in the closets, and simulation machines were set upon one side and a different assortment of sports equipment were placed inside the makeshift net basket.

Barely anyone used the game room, though. Even though the members had known about the place, it was more of a placeholder than anything else. The games involved a lot of team building and the simulation machines were barely used since the Organization already owned many of the simulation games in reality. The profits in the mercenary business were huge and the money was used to buy them better means of transportation. This included the Organization's own private jet plane and a vehicle for each member. Although the members had preferred the dark portals to riding the company-issued cars, the portals were tiring to make after missions and everyone opted to just use the vehicle after every mission.

Xemnas thought about his success a lot. During the times when all the paperwork was finished and the day was coming to an end, he would lean back on his leather chair and relax. Even though he was a successful businessman, his goal was still far from his reach.

It had been a long time since he started the Organization. Eleven years he'd been in the business, but no sign of the thing he was longing for the most.

Kingdom Hearts.

It was a jewel, the most ancient and precious of all the jewels in the world. The jewel was just a legend in the books, no pictures or details explained the whereabouts of the precious jewel. Xemnas only knew of it from the tale of his old mentor. Legend says that the jewel can be found in the hearts of those whose emotions reach out to the heavens and that whoever holds the jewel will gain their heart's desire.

He had only caught a glimpse of the jewel once in the eleven years he had searched for it, and that discovery was only by chance.

Xemnas took off his gloves and looked at his hands. He was getting old and time was running short.

The plan would have to start sooner than expected.

* * *

"All right, Roxas. Where's the asshole that did this to ya?" Xigbar asked, looking quite stoic even as his fingers twitched to grab his weapon to shoot something.

"Probably at school." Roxas replied, drinking more water than necessary. He wasn't about to say anything else that had happened.

Xigbar grunted. It wasn't often that Roxas was sent to the hospital for his injuries. Mostly it was just for some simple assassin mission. He was after all, one of the best. Some missions he comes home without even a scratch on his body. Nobody could compare to his mission success rate and the short amount of time it takes him to track down the target. It was one of the reasons the kid was always so busy, many of the clients favour him over others. The other Organization members didn't mind. More time to do one's own hobby.

"I heard from the hospital and the school. It seems you and Axel had a fight. What the fuck about? Seriously, you haven't even talked to him in the month that you lived in the same apartment. Usually you just go out for some reconnaissance about the targets." Xigbar asked.

"The usual thing."

"You came to school with too many injuries?"

"Yeah."

"…are you an idiot? Do you know what those dumbasses would think? That I abuse you assholes at home! I'm the fucking acting guardian, didn't you think about that?"

"I didn't start it."

"Who the fuck cares if you didn't start it or not? You're in the fucking hospital for broken bones, bruised arms and a bleeding head! I don't give a shit how you do your damned missions or if you do them right, don't fuck this up and involve me in the damned situation. The moment you get the fuck out of this place, your punishment will take place, fucking understand?"

Roxas nodded. He thought about it, Xigbar was right. They were not supposed to attract the attention of the school, they weren't supposed to be showing off fighting skills and they weren't even supposed to be in the hospital in the first place. What was he to do, anyway? People noticed him even when he didn't want the attention. Cloud had left quite the impression on the elder school staff and for some reason they weren't retired yet.

The elder staff would notice the similarities between the two. Cloud's quiet demeanour had reflected upon Roxas's own quiet attitude. Roxas's blonde hair and blue eyes reminded them too much of the muscular older brother he had not met with in years. Cloud's refusal to join any of the clubs had matched Roxas's refusal to even walk near any of the clubrooms despite both their amazing performance during P.E. class.

In the month that had passed by, the teachers had called Roxas the perfect Carbon Copy of Cloud. Or C.C. for short. Thankfully, none of them had known that Cloud had a younger brother. But still, it did not stop them from asking whether Roxas had an older brother.

Roxas always said no, even if he wanted to say yes.

"Anyway, how's the mission?" Xigbar's temperament had cooled off.

"I've managed to befriend Hayner's group. The one with the blonde. Axel, from my observations, has managed to earn their trust slightly. I give it some six more months in order for him to know more. My mission will take some seven more months. They are quite wary of new people."

Xigbar nodded and noted down Roxas's estimations.

"Fine. I'm making this month's report. You better be prepared when you get out of the hospital. The blonde one is here."

Xigbar palmed Roxas's hair and left. He noticed the three teens who were eyeing him suspiciously. He smiled at them and told them that Roxas was inside and that they contact him should anything happen to the kid again, reassuring them that he was the acting guardian, making excuses about his real parents and waved them goodbye.

"Hey." Roxas said, looking at his new visitors.

Hayner looked at his new acquaintance. They had met at the skate park. He just walked in a few weeks ago and started skating. He left the park in awe, actually. In all the years Hayner rode the skateboard, never had he seen the flips and tricks Roxas had done. It was gravity-defying, to say the least.

The blonde had done flips, 50-50's, backsides, fakies, grinds, indies, ollies and the rarely mastered trick: the 720 gazelle flip. The older skaters were quite impressed, opting to recruit him in their team for the upcoming skateboarding competition. Roxas denied all their invitations, instead excusing himself as too busy to join any competitions. It had stayed that way until Olette suggested that they include him in the team, citing the fact that they needed a fourth member.

Hayner didn't want to include him, he knew about Roxas. He was quiet and you never knew what he was thinking. All he ever had was straight face and according to the whispers in the faculty room, straight A's. The kid had been impressing everyone he had met without even exercising the effort everyone else had done so. He didn't like it.

Eventually he had to succumb to Olette's wish, Pence wanted him in the group as well. So Hayner asked him before he left the park and to his surprise, Roxas nodded and gave him his number. As if he was expecting the whole thing to happen. Hayner concluded that Roxas knew more than he was letting on. Nobody in high school gets straight A's and still has time to go to the skate park every day after school. Something was up and he wanted to find out.

"Hey yourself." Hayner replied.

"Roxas, what happened?" Olette said, staring at the bandages that covered his body.

"He got in a fight with the sophomore redhead. Axel, was it?" Hayner answered.

"Yeah."

"Will you still be able to compete?"

"Hayner! Roxas is injured and that's all you can say?" said Pence.

Hayner's mood soured. The two were starting to treat Roxas like a friend. That wasn't good. He thought it was just supposed to be the three of them; that was how it was ever since childhood. Why were they suddenly adding a new member, someone they barely knew from the beginning?

Roxas noticed the blonde's posture. His arms were crossed, his brows were scrunched and his muscles tensed.

_Hostility detected. Defensive posture administered. Note: Research on the art of gaining trust._

"Don't worry about it, Pence. I'll be ready for the competition. But I'm kind of tired at the moment, so could you…" Roxas replied

"Yeah, we get it. We're leaving. Bye Roxas! Get better, okay?" Olette said, smiling brightly at Roxas. Roxas watched her closely.

_Eyes dilated, blinking quickly. Heart rate: fast. Face unnaturally red. Awkward posture administered. Trust gained, affection gained. Mission partly complete._

And Roxas did what the books said, he smirked at Olette.

Olette blushed and was about to comment, but Roxas put his index finger to his lips. He wanted her to keep quiet. Olette nodded and laughed silently. Without skipping a beat, she ran off with Hayner and Pence.

Roxas's smirk stayed until he was sure they had left. It was tiring to make facial expressions; it was even more tiring to decipher their actions and expressions. It had been so long since he had been able to feel anything. He was wondering whether anything was real anymore.

He leaned his body against the headboard. He had to do this. It was the only way to keep him safe. To keep everyone safe.

To make amends for her death.

With that thought placed in his mind, sleep took him over.

_**XxX**_

"_Cloud-nii, come look! I found a dog. Can we keep him?"_

"_Sorry, Rox. I'm really busy right now and we don't really have the money."_

"_But what about Mom and Dad?"_

"_They're… they're not here anymore. Okay?"_

"_No! It isn't okay! It's not fair! What did they do to be gone, Cloud-nii! Bring them back! Bring them back!"_

"_I can't do that. They're dead, so stop asking me for something impossible!"_

"_It's not fair. It's not fair. Why did they have to die? Did we do something bad, Cloud-nii? Did I do something really bad like not brush my teeth or eat my vegetables or drink all my milk-"_

"_You didn't do anything, Rox."_

"_Then why did they have to leave? I'm sorry, please bring them back! I promise not to do anything bad anymore, not to eat junk food anymore or even ride your skateboard secretly and stuff! Please, Cloud-nii! I want Mom and Dad back!"_

"…_I can't get them back. But I can find the people who did it and stop them from ever doing it again."_

_**XxX**_

* * *

**Ah, consistency gone. I'm sorry for being a week late and for the short chapter. Our school was being an arsehole and decided to move our huge test to a later date.**

**Did this chapter contain the rickety old house? I don't know.**

**I lied, Hayner isn't friendly. Boohoo. Expect more lies, like Roxas suddenly falling for Sora.**

**Aww. Someone already figured out Nico. Seriously, Percy Jackson is this famous? What about the good old classics like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies? Go read it.**

**However, nobody has still figured out the anime character I borrowed from this one anime. Whoever gets it right will get a cameo for the next chapter. **

**I dedicate this chapter to blacksakura13. She has been writing fanfics for a long time and we're friends IRL and because of her continuous posts about not being able to update in time, I finally felt guilty for leaving this story unfinished. Go check out her stories.**

**Don't worry, I won't leave.**

**Until the next chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

**I am overwhelmed the response this story has been getting. It's really weird. You guys STILL haven't figured out the mystery anime character that's hiding in here. And I don't watch Code Geass, sorry. So I didn't know I had made a reference when I said C.C. to Code Geass. I was thinking more along the lines of that cat they replicated and called C.C., (Carbon Copy)**

**I'm reading way too much science articles.**

** That mystery anime guy only appeared once, though. So I doubt that you would have gotten it right away. But it's all right. You will, when he appears again. Ah, another clue. He's a guy.**

**Anyway, this chapter includes a Zexion. A sexy Zexy. And the rickety house. And if someone is reading this, I'll be releasing the next chapter in two weeks. This thing will be updated once in a fortnight. And did I just use the word fortnight? Yes, I did.**

**Note: I am really sorry for the late reply. School got a bit hectic these past few weeks. And also, I didn't have internet over the holidays. So imagine me typing the second half of this story in a five star hotel. Because that is where I am. Instead of enjoying myself outside the sunshine, I am here continuing the story for you guys. Because I love you.**

* * *

Zexion stared at the numbers before him. He couldn't really understand where he had gone wrong. Zexion squinted his eyes even more; he glared at the computer screen that glowed brightly in the dark room. It was midnight and everyone else in the Organization had gone off to their own missions, leaving Zexion behind all alone in the headquarters. Usually he only had the headquarters all to himself for an hour before Roxas would come and join him with his nightly duties. Unfortunately, Roxas was sent off to Destiny Islands to investigate something the leader was probably just paranoid about. Either way, he was going to be alone for the next six or seven hours. The other members usually went out before they reported back to Zexion for a mission completed.

Zexion used to go on missions, too. In fact, he was only second to Larxene back when she was alive in the torture department of their extremely small company. She would handle the physical torture and he would handle the mental torture. Together they went on the harsh missions. They were called on every time the mafia or any other underworld organization would need their services to take revenge. Their most popular client was the Hyena gang. They would take revenge out on anyone and Zexion and Larxene would fulfil their sickest, most gruesome wishes.

But ever since Larxene was killed by some rather angry targets a few years ago, the leader had decreased the amount of missions Zexion had been assigned. He wouldn't even go on those torture missions anymore and was only allowed to go on reconnaissance missions with Demyx or Roxas. Eventually, no missions were given to him and soon he just became the accountant, the lawyer, the sales department and really the whole office of the Organization. Zexion didn't mind, it gave him more time to research and to hone his skills by watching mediocre horror movies and snuff films they find in a target's home.

As his mind drifted back to the problem before him, Zexion stopped thinking about the past and went back to the computer screen. A few taps on the keyboard later and a press on the ENTER button later, the numbers didn't lie. The result came out in the unfamiliar red font. Pushing up his glasses further up on the bridge of his nose, he tried again. Still, the same result came and he realized that it was real.

The Organization was losing money.

* * *

"Done!" Axel said, slowing down at the end of the track.

"That isn't fair, Axel! You have long legs, you're barely sweaty and you look like you're ready for more laps!" Sora whined, still on his seventh lap.

"It's not my fault I'm just awesome. Commit it to memory!"

Sora huffed and started running even faster. Riku was already on his ninth lap and the girls' volleyball team were already finished with their try-outs.

A week after Roxas was sent to the hospital courtesy of Axel's fists, everything returned to normal. Roxas still hadn't come back to school yet but he was to return the following week. The entire school had stopped talking about the whole fight when the sports clubs released the time and schedule for the try-outs. Freshmen were encouraged by the higher years to join, mostly because once you're an athlete and you've entered competitions, your grades will never go down, not even once.

So Sora, Riku and Axel tried out for the volleyball team. Even though Axel never once played the sport, he shrugged that off; signed up for the try-outs and said he would wing it. Sora and Riku stared at him in awe, volleyball wasn't exactly that easy and it was one of the most competitive sports around Destiny Islands.

And so when Axel started acing every single activity for the boys' volleyball try-out, Sora and Riku could not comprehend the approving looks and the whispers of future volleyball scholarships behind their backs. Axel didn't even look physically inclined, he was thinner than Sora and he still eats so much more than Riku, Kairi and Axel combined. It really was a strange revelation.

Sora ran even faster, determined to get in the volleyball team. It was crucial to join, lest his grades go down at a very steep slope. He wasn't exactly dumb, but he wasn't exactly smart either.

The new members were announced. He got in, alongside with Axel and Riku.

* * *

Roxas flipped the page on the book. It wasn't really the book he had asked for, but it was good enough. His doctor had advised against tiring himself too much but according to the pills the Organization had provided him with, he could do a backflip and run a ten mile course at this point of recovery. The only reason he was actually even in the hospital was because Xigbar wanted to punish him.

To someone's point of view, he wasn't really being punished. If it were seen from a normal teen's view, it would actually look like he had taken a vacation and anyone would just relax and sleep all day, hoping the next few days would last a bit longer. However, this was what Roxas hated the most.

Inactivity.

Ever since he had been five, training was every day. The only times he would relax was on Sunday and even on those days his mind was working on the math problems Zexion gave him or the tactics training Xigbar would suddenly give out of nowhere. Roxas wasn't used to the silence of peace or the quiet of the hospital. When he couldn't hear someone screaming at his face to work harder, a sound of a gun cocking, a knife being sharpened, the crack of a whip or any sort of loud noise, he could hear his mind screaming the most.

He could hear someone screaming, someone gnawing to get out of this shell he had built, to get out of the very defences he had created. Sometimes the voice screams so loud in his head that he has to make noises on his own. Grab a knife, sharpen it. Grab a gun, disassemble, assemble and shoot. Grab a kunai, throw it somewhere. Call Axel. Anything, really.

Unfortunately, Xigbar took away every weapon he had and Axel wasn't talking either.

Sure, he could summon the keyblade and just start slashing at the air, but how would he explain to the hospital staff the giant key he could summon out of nowhere? The weapons he could hide without difficulty but doubt remained for a giant key.

Roxas flipped the page again. Flipping the page kept him from hearing that voice. The faster he read, the more the voice was drowned by the story of the book.

_I am happy with my life now. It wasn't like before, back when everything was dull and nothing mattered. My parents are back together, my brother and I haven't fought since that day and my friends are all with me. I think this calls for a happy ending, don't you think?_

_The end, reader. I hope for the best._

And the story ended.

Roxas closed the book and slammed it on the table. Another noise to keep away the voice. He had been too busy to realize the book had ended; his plans for the mission had gotten rearranged. Due to his little accident with Axel, new emotions had risen from his group of targets. Pence became wary of Axel, even suggesting plans to rough him up a little. Hayner became even more suspicious of him; it seems that the blond found out that Roxas kept getting straight A's even as he went to the skate park every day. Olette suddenly had this want for a relationship that was "more than friends" with Roxas. It was getting quite complicated indeed.

Footsteps echoed outside the hall, somebody was coming.

Roxas closed his eyes and tried to prepare himself. Ever since the whole accident, the trio of targets kept on visiting him, talking about the contest and whatnot. When Pence and Hayner leaves, Olette makes up excuses like giving him his homework, telling him about school or just plain pretending to tell him girly stuff the two didn't want to know.

None of that was true.

When the two left, the strangest things happened. Roxas read about it in many of the psychology books and articles in his room back at the headquarters and it seemed to be better than just being friends so he decided to engage in the whole action.

They kissed.

The moment Hayner and Pence close the elevator doors, Olette's lips would crash onto Roxas' and they would kiss passionately. His hands would make their way to her waist and her hands would make their way to his neck, locking one another in an embrace. He would ask for entrance in her mouth and when she denied, he would pull her closer until she moaned and opened her mouth. They would stay that way for a while, or at least until Olette ran out of breathe.

And when their make out session was over, Olette would sigh and fall unto Roxas' arms. He would hold her hand and she would rest her head on his chest. Olette would talk and Roxas would listen. That was how things usually started. It was surprising, though. Olette started the whole thing after their first visit. He didn't know how to respond to that action without having to delay the mission and so he just went ahead with it.

It was a nuisance, to begin with. She would talk about emotions and Roxas would have to search his brain on how to reply properly to every question or statement. Making relationships as friends were enough, secret lovers weren't in any of the books he had read. So instead he had opted for a spy's handbook for reference and everything seemed to be working fine.

The footsteps came nearer and nearer until the person was just outside of his room. Roxas opened his eyes and tried to take all the energy he had to pretend he had emotions. He prepared himself for the hostile Hayner, a wary Pence and a lustful Olette.

When he opened his eyes, instead of the trio he was expecting, in place were Axel and his group of targets.

"Hey." Axel said reluctantly.

Roxas nodded at him and looked at the trio warily. He wasn't prepared to deal with the hyperactive brunette and his cronies.

"Hey, Roxas! We wanted to drop by to make Axel say sorry for being such an ass and punching you last week. Anyway, he's been acting grumpy for the past two weeks and maybe if you forgive him he'll stop being such an ass to us and actually start taking volleyball seriously!" Kairi said.

Sora and Riku grunted at the volleyball comment.

"Will you shut your trap, Kairi? Ugh, I'm already talking to the guy, aren't I? Now, go shoo. This guy won't take me seriously with you guys in the room." Axel replied.

Soon enough, the trio informed Axel that they would be at the hospital cafeteria and wait for him to finish up because as Sora put ever so nicely he would "Make him cry" the next time he screwed up at volleyball practice.

"So." Axel started.

"So." Roxas ended.

"How are your injuries?" Axel inquired.

"Fine. How is your mission?" Roxas replied.

"Define 'fine', Roxas. Because I damn sure think that you have a different definition of fine than I do." Axel challenged.

"Two broken ribs, some internal bruising and a bit of a concussion." Roxas summarized.

"Hmm. That's good. It just looked worse than it did, considering you did three high class missions in a row. What made you think going to school with those kinds of injuries was okay?"

"Walking in the headquarters with those kinds of injuries was okay." Roxas said.

"Bull. Shit. Xemnas would kill you for ruining the tiles."

Axel laughed. It was better than it looked. Roxas looked better now, he supposed. The colour was back on his skin, the blood was all cleaned up and he was technically happy, even with the straight face.

"So, what kind of punishment did Xigbar lay on you this time?" Axel asked.

"A time out. Instead of going back to school, he's making me stay here until today."

"Hah. That's right. You have problems with relaxing." Axel grinned. It was nice to be talking to Roxas normally again. Then he remembered why they weren't talking in the first place and he frowned.

"Roxas-"

"Axel, my brother is twenty five years old. He's probably got a normal job and a busy life. In fact, he's probably even starting a family and thinking about the future. In one year, it's going to be a decade since he last saw me. I make sure of that. Who knows? Maybe he'll stop searching and-"

"I don't care. I want you to talk about him. Tell me. You said it yourself; it's been almost a decade. I have the right to know why you keep him alive while you slowly die in our Organization."

"You know that isn't true."

"For me, it isn't the truth. The Organization is my home; it saved me from the streets. For you, that is the truth. You had a home, why did you let go?"

Roxas contemplated Axel's words. He was right, after all. It had been a long time since Cloud even managed to get a slither of his memories back. There was a slim to none chance of him remembering (or even caring) now. It would even appear to him as a dream, even. Either way, it was safe to say anything.

"All right. But not right now. I'll tell you after I get out of this place. While Xigbar is out on a mission."

Axel grinned. Finally, he was getting Roxas to trust him.

A knock on the door took their attention. Sora smiled sheepishly and waved at the two of them.

"Uhm, Axel, sorry to interrupt but our ride is here. We either celebrate with you or without you."

"Celebrate what?" Roxas asked.

Sora's smile widened even more and walked in the room. "Didn't you hear? Me, Axel and Riku got in the volleyball team! We're celebrating! Uh, you can come with us if you want to, Roxas."

Roxas, for the first time, smiled at Sora.

"Sorry, I've got to stay here. Some other time?"

Sora gaped. He hadn't noticed it before, but now that it was quite obviously right in front of him, he gaped quite rudely. Roxas was _handsome._ Sure, he looked awesome with a straight face but now that his chip of ice on the shoulder had melted, he looked really _handsome._

Axel laughed almost immediately at Sora's reaction.

"It's okay, Sora. That's what most people do when they see Roxas smile. Well, aside from another thing." Axel said.

"Hey! I'm still here!" Roxas reminded.

"Yeah, well, we're leaving!" Axel said.

"Hey, Roxas?" Sora said.

"Yeah?"

"You should smile more often, it looks good on you." Sora said, smiling at the blonde.

"Uh, yeah. Thanks." Roxas said.

Axel and Sora waved Roxas goodbye and walked unto the corridor where Kairi and Riku had been waiting. They talked animatedly while walking towards the elevator. When the elevator door opened, another group of teenagers met them and glared. More specifically, glared at Axel.

"Oh, look. It's the ass who beat up Roxas." Hayner said.

Axel glared back.

"Oh, look. It's the trash littering the school. Get out of our sight, Hayner." Riku commented.

"Gladly, pompous prick." Hayner replied.

The three then walked out of the elevator, continuing on to their obvious destination: Roxas' room. Their loud steps echoing through the hallway until the elevator doors closed.

* * *

"Man, what an ass." Riku said, crossing his arms.

"Calm down, Riku. It's just Hayner. Are you still mad about what happened during summer?" Kairi asked.

"He's not worth it." Sora replied.

Axel's brain worked around this information. Summer. That was the months before school started. In other words, the time when Demyx had failed his mission and they got landed this mission. Now, Axel had grown fond of the three but the Organization always came first. He decided to investigate further.

"Don't leave me out! What happened during summer?" Axel asked.

Sora looked at Kairi and Riku. Did they trust Axel enough to tell him about their propaganda? Kairi disagreed. They had only known him for a few weeks. Riku nodded at Kairi's decision. Axel was a civilian; he didn't need to get involved with their goal.

"Uh, nothing big. It was just a brawl, I guess." Sora said.

Axel observed their actions and deduced they hadn't trusted him that much yet. This led to another conclusion in his head, they were involved in something. Big. If they didn't trust him enough to tell him all about what really happened during Hades' capture and Hercules' planned death, it meant they were involved.

Axel hoped that Roxas' group had gotten the short end of the stick and were the tattletales instead.

"Oh, okay then. Well, where's our ride? If it's a minivan I swear I will walk out on you guys that instant." Axel joked.

Everyone laughed at Axel. It seems he did not know enough to say something like that.

"Nope. Sorry, Axel. It's a-"

"Shh! Kairi, let him see it on his own!" Riku said.

"All right, all right."

And they walked towards the parking lot, with Axel confused and the three trying to prevent their laughter. Pretty soon enough, they had reached their ride and the rider.

Axel gaped.

He wasn't shocked at the vehicle, as impressive as it looked. He gaped at the rider who was casually leaning on the wall, staring at them.

He hadn't ever seen a photo of Roxas' brother. In fact, he had only known the man from the few snippets Roxas sometimes slipped out. However, the moment he laid his eyes on the man in front of him he had known.

This was Cloud.

He had blonde hair, except it was a bit lighter than Roxas. His blue eyes mirrored Roxas' cobalt blue orbs. Their hair had the same spiky edge to it. Cloud's whole picture was a mirror reflection of Roxas.

And Roxas was only a few hundred metres away.

"Tada! Pretty neat, huh? Oh, and this is Cloud." Sora said, waving at the motorcycle and Cloud.

Cloud looked at the redhead the three were feverishly talking about since high school had started. He was a sophomore yet he befriended more freshmen than sophomores. It seems the guy didn't really fit the definition of ordinary. He had green tear drop tattoos below his green eyes and neon red hair. A bit on the thin side, but according to Sora and Riku, a student on his way to an athlete scholarship.

His name was Axel.

And he was staring right at Cloud.

"What's wrong with your friend?" Cloud finally asked.

"Oh, he's probably shocked it isn't a minivan but a pretty neat motorcycle! Right, Axel?" Sora said.

"Huh? Oh, yeah! Hah, you guys got me there! Anyway, where are we going?" Axel asked, trying to shake his mind off the similarities between the brothers.

"Where else? To the ice cream shop!" Sora replied.

"Oh? And what kind of ice cream will you guys get?" Axel asked.

"The best kind! Sea salt ice cream!" Sora said, running off to ride Cloud's motorcycle.

Axel smiled. He was liking this group more than he was supposed to. Which reminded him of Roxas' predicament. It was a good thing they had switched targets lest Cloud sees him and his cover be blown. He wasn't sure what Roxas did every time Cloud got near to the truth, but he wasn't going to bother his best friend over something that can be avoided. In other words, avoid talking about Roxas throughout the whole time.

"Oi, Sora. Get off the driver's seat. That's mine. You guys sit in the cart beside me." Cloud said.

"What? Again? No fair. Why do we always sit there anyway?"

"Because, Sora, the last time I let you sit behind me you tried to spray paint my jacket with pink." Cloud replied.

Axel stared. Even their monotonous talking was the same. He couldn't help but compare even more. They were just so similar in so many ways. He couldn't even react properly to the happenings around him.

Cloud stared at the new redhead. Axel just kept staring at Cloud, even as the blonde stared back coldly. Cloud didn't trust the redhead. He was hiding something. Those eyes he had, they were strange. He couldn't put his finger on the feeling he got from Axel, but it wasn't a good feeling and that was all it took for Cloud to distrust the kid.

"Uh, Axel? Are you okay? Hah, you're probably thinking about your best friend, aren't you?" Kairi said.

"Yeah. You never stop thinking about that guy, don't you, Axel? He's fine! Well, he's hanging out with an ass, but he's fine!" Riku chimed in.

"Who?" Cloud asked. He wasn't one to pry in some kid's life, but Kairi implied something there. Something that might help his suspicions.

"Ooh. I see. He's probably remembering Roxas because Cloud looks like him!" Sora exclaimed.

Axel was a second too late from covering Sora's big mouth. The brunette just had to say his name, didn't he? Well, his cover blown now; might as well make a run for it.

As Axel reached out to make a dark portal to Roxas' hospital room to grab his best friend and run, Cloud spoke and Axel, for the second time that day, froze to his spot.

"Who's Roxas?"

* * *

**Agh. Oh, fudge. This is such a short chapter but it took so long to write. I, once again, deeply apologize for the late update. My school was being an ass (Seriously, the last two weeks of school consisted of half quarter exams and passing a project for a competition) and my dad said no to going on the internet in the hotel because it was expensive.**

**I left another cliffhanger! And the rickety old house hasn't even been in here! Fuuudge. 9gag has been taking over my past time and Facebook has been doing so too. So reviewers, give me more fuel! Make me guilty! Say something like**

"_**OMGosh I can't believe you! How dare you not update when you tell others to do so! Blah blah blah Roxas is hot blah blah blah CLIFFHANGER OH NO blah blah blah mindfuckery blah blah blah blah UPDATE OR I WILL KILL YOU."**_

**Anyway, I will be starting a new story soon. Except it will be comedy. And Xemnas will be there. Hah. Another thing to look forward to. But it is now 12:26 am and I have to go to bed for my comfy five star hotel bed awaits. Ah, sleep.**

**Also, I'm terribly sorry for not replying to reviews. I usually don't do so because I suck at socializing but since you guys keep asking questions I will reply. With an incredibly rude reply. Aha! Did you see that? Sora talked to Roxas and Axel saw Roxas smile! Some good story development, don't you think? Merry Christmas, everyone.  
**


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